Hundreds, if not thousands, of lives will be saved across the country though a national bowel screening programme rolling out this year, and after years of saving the Hawke's Bay District Health Board will be ahead of the game with a brand new endoscopy unit.
Located between the hospital's main entrance and tower block the $11.8 million dollar unit is scheduled to open in August next year and will bolster the hospital's ability to prevent and treat bowel cancer.
Project sponsor and service director for medical directorate Paula Jones said the new unit had been in the works since 2012, with the introduction of the national bowel screening project highlighting the need for the hospital to increase and expand its services.
"Our demand was already starting to outstrip out capacity, especially when there are other competing demands like our surgical elective targets," she said.
The new endoscopy unit will be an independent facility and streamline medical processes; ensuring better patient outcomes and increased efficiency.